


Every Day

by IBoatedHere



Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Episode: s02e08 Bad Call, Established Relationship, Extended Scene, Love, M/M, so much love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-16 11:22:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29949228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IBoatedHere/pseuds/IBoatedHere
Summary: He keeps the chip in his pocket on the way to the restaurant.
Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand
Comments: 8
Kudos: 302





	Every Day

He keeps the chip in his pocket on the way to the restaurant.

He tells Owen to take a left and then a right and then straight at the light as he turns it over and over in his fingers, stopping to rub his thumb over the surface until he’s sure he’ll worry a hole clean through it.

What if he’s wrong? What if they’re too late? What if he loses his career and his love all in one clean sweep? What will he have left? His father is disappointed in him. Owen will blame him and the rest of the 126...who is he to them without TK as an anchor?

“Hey.”

Her jerks to attention at Owen’s voice. The car is parked across the street from the restaurant. It’s shuttered and dark and he closes his fist around the chip until the ridged edges cut into his palm.

“Do you want to stay here,” Owen asks, voice soft but loud in the silence of the car.

Carlos shakes his head. He wants to go. He has to.

-

He forgets about the chip when TK is there to hold instead.

He’s bruised but not broken and they cling to each other until they hear sirens outside and the paramedics have to pry them apart.

He stands beside him as they check TK's vitals; stethoscope pressed to his chest, blood pressure cuff on his arm, oximeter on his fingertip.

“Keep him awake,” they say when Carlos climbs into the ambulance beside him and Carlos nods and talks the entire ride, only pausing to give TK a chance to answer when he poses a question.

TK’s words are slow but clear and his eyes only seem to focus when he’s staring up into Carlos’.

“Just keeping looking at me,” Carlos tells him and TK nods and winces but mumbles “I’m always looking at you.”

The paramedic doesn’t bother to hide her smile and Carlos squeezes TK’s hand and asks him what color he thinks they should repaint the bathroom.

—

He remembers the chip later on.

After TK has been admitted and treated and his color looks better and he’s stopped bleeding through the bandage.

After he’s full on matzoh ball soup and he smells like lavender that he finally broke down and accepted from his father.

After Gwyn and Owen have left under the guise of looking for coffee and tea.

After the sound the sound of their light-hearted bickering about the amount of caffeine that’s safe to drink while pregnant floated down the hall and out of earshot.

Carlos folds himself onto the bed beside TK, further up from the open spot that Gwyn left.

“This was smart,” he says as he presses the chip into TK’s hand and folds his fingers around it before cupping TK’s hand between his own.

“I knew you’d come looking,” TK tells him, “I just had to give you something to find.” He cups Carlos’ face with his free hand. “I _knew_ you’d come looking.”

“When you didn’t show up for dinner,” Carlos tells him, “and you didn’t answer my texts—.”

TK drops his hand and tips his head back on the pillow. “Dinner,” he says to the ceiling. “I stood you up.”

Carlos nearly laughs. “You really didn’t.”

“I did.” He lifts his head and looks back to Carlos. “You made dinner and I just left you sitting there.”

“You had a good reason,” Carlos tells him. “Maybe _the_ reason.”

“I’ll make it up to you.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I want to,” TK says, stubborn as hell, as always. “I will. I’m going to.”

Carlos nods because _okay, whatever you want, whenever you want it, for as long as you’ll allow me to give it to you._

“You keep saving me,” TK says, “I have to do something.”

“If we’re keeping score it’s just the one time,” Carlos jokes but TK’s face goes hard and serious as he shakes his hand free of Carlos’s grip and holds the chip up between them.

“Every day,” TK says, “since the moment I met you, it’s been every day.”

**Author's Note:**

> I had a lot of feelings about this episode. My tumblr is [here](https://iboatedhere.tumblr.com/) if you want to talk about it!


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